Red Light Cameras Can Not Be Killed Quietly

Paul Kubosh wants to give voters a voice in the ongoing battle over red light cameras in Houston.

Kubosh, who started Citizens Against Red Light Cameras, filed today a "motion to intervene" in a federal lawsuit that was filed against the city by American Traffic Solutions, the company contracted to provide and monitor red light cameras in Houston.

"Citizens don't like it when out of state corporations come in and attack an election," Kubosh said at a press conference this afternoon. "And if the judge allows us to intervene, we will defend the results of the election."

If you haven't been keeping up, this saga started back in August, when the city council agreed to allow citizens to vote on red light cameras, and on November 2, red light cameras were voted off the streets.

ATS, of course, didn't like the idea of losing its contract, and on the day before Thanksgiving, the company sued the city to overturn the results of the election. And that's where Kubosh came in.

He'd already been involved in the red light issue, campaigning against the cameras before the vote and suing the city after it refused to release monthly traffic reports under the state's Public Information Act.

The latest action is necessary because, according to the motion to intervene, "Intervenors reasonably fear that the City has tens of millions of reasons ($) for wanting ATS to win its Counterclaim and nullify the vote."

"The lawsuit [from ATS] is nothing more than a cover. We think they're talking on the phone [with the city], trying to find the best way to hide behind a federal judge," Kubosh says. "The city's motive is money."

According to David Furlow, an attorney from mega-firm Thompson & Knight who is representing Kubosh, a judge should rule on the motion to intervene by the end of the week.

In the meantime, while this and the lawsuits are sorted out, there won't be any red light tickets issued but the cameras will remain in place.